Identification of the virulence-related genetic regions of a wood rot disease, using a crossbred family of a model fungus Schizophyllum commune

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26870142
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Forest science; Plant protection science
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Takemoto Shuhei 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 助教 (90724724)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 腐朽病害 / 病原力評価法 / 病原機構 / 交配家系 / 多犯性 / 樹病

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A profound understanding of pathogenic mechanisms is needed to develop novel control measures for wood rot diseases. I aimed to establish an experimental system, where the pathogenicity and/or virulence of a pathogen can efficiently be evaluated. I used a fungus Schizophyllum commune as a model organism, taking advantage of its suitability for experimental use and availability of spores for crossbreeding. I used crossbred poplar cultivars as hosts, and revealed that discoloration length at inoculation points could be used as an index value of virulence. The discoloration length was influenced by the individuality and the diameter of inoculated shoots and the position of inoculation points, in addition to host cultivars. There was a correlation between the virulence of haploid isolates and their ancestral isolates, inferring the involvement of a hypothetical genetic factor(s). I proposed a novel evaluation method for virulence, in which exogeneous factors were corrected statistically.

Free Research Field

森林科学